A more affordable model in the iPhone X series went on sale in Japan on Friday amid expectations that its sales volume will exceed that of the pricier XS Max and XS that made their market debuts last month.

The XR model, which costs 84,800 yen ($755), is available in six colors including blue, red and yellow with a 6.1-inch liquid crystal display and improved camera functions using artificial intelligence.

[Photo courtesy of Apple Inc.]

"We made it highly functional but kept the price low," said an Apple Inc. spokesperson.

Consumers can get a discount if they agree to a contract for a fixed period with either of the three major mobile carriers -- NTT Docomo Inc., SoftBank Corp. and KDDI Corp.

The XS Max with a 6.5-inch screen, the largest ever iPhone display, and the XS with a 5.8-inch screen, both of which have a high-end organic light-emitting diode display, retail for 124,800 yen and 112,800 yen, respectively.

The iPhone is the dominant smartphone in Japan, enjoying a roughly 50 percent market share, one of the biggest in the world.